Prague: Restaurants & Tour Guides
Oct 22nd, 2006 | 08:31 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3
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Prague: Restaurants & Tour Guides
We will be in Prague for two full days in November. Please share any good restaurant recommendations. Also, is there a private or semi-private tour guide you would recommend to see the castle, jewish quarter, and anything else?
Oct 22nd, 2006 | 08:59 PM
#2
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 157
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Please ask Google for in your pocket Prague and click first on restaurants and second sightseeing, then Cityrama. Any In Your Pocket city pages include a careful and well judged guide to restaurants and to hotels, selected by the authors, not by managers on the make.
Ben Haines, London
[email protected]
Ben Haines, London
[email protected]
Oct 23rd, 2006 | 08:06 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 221
Likes: 0
Russ,
Here is an excerpt from my overly long trip report on the Czech Republic. Do a search on "turnip" if you'd like to see the rest of it.
Cheers, the turnip
The next morning at 9 o’ clock sharp our guide Jana arrived at our apartment. Both Rick Steves and this forum recommended a guide by the name of Sarka. Of course with that much publicity Sarka was booked solid. She has since started a small tour guide business of sorts and she suggested we try Jana. We arranged in advance to spend two consecutive mornings with her. I liked the idea of two four hour morning sessions as opposed to one long day with her as my brain can hold only so much information. At a certain point you can process only so much and after that no matter how beautiful, how historic or how unique something is you just don’t appreciate it like you should. She met us at our apartment and we took the tram into town where she took us to a cute little café. There we sat down and she gave us a brief history of Prague as well as an interesting lesson on the architecture we would be seeing. Then she listened to what our interests were and what it was that we really wanted to see. We decided on a brief overview of two town sections each morning. Jana (pronounced Yana) was awesome. Some guides are very knowledgeable and some are very personable, Jana was both. She was entertaining and was able to answer all our questions, of which we asked quite a few. I’m not sure how to explain it, but with some guides it’s like you’re on a ride at Disney World. It’s enjoyable but you always have that feeling that you’re on a fixed narrow path with no deviation allowed. With Jana you could tell she wasn’t reading through some preplanned script in her mind but rather she just enjoyed talking about her beautiful city. We didn’t feel like we were just “that day’s clients” but felt more like we were her friends that she was showing around while we were in town. After we finished with each morning’s tour she then gave us hints for what to do that afternoon, including places to eat and where to shop. I believe we gave her the US equivalent of $100 total for the four of us for what was supposed to be eight hours of touring. In reality it was closer to nine or ten I would think. All four of us gave Jana two thumbs way up!
www.prague-guide.info [email protected] 420-777-225-205
Here is an excerpt from my overly long trip report on the Czech Republic. Do a search on "turnip" if you'd like to see the rest of it.
Cheers, the turnip
The next morning at 9 o’ clock sharp our guide Jana arrived at our apartment. Both Rick Steves and this forum recommended a guide by the name of Sarka. Of course with that much publicity Sarka was booked solid. She has since started a small tour guide business of sorts and she suggested we try Jana. We arranged in advance to spend two consecutive mornings with her. I liked the idea of two four hour morning sessions as opposed to one long day with her as my brain can hold only so much information. At a certain point you can process only so much and after that no matter how beautiful, how historic or how unique something is you just don’t appreciate it like you should. She met us at our apartment and we took the tram into town where she took us to a cute little café. There we sat down and she gave us a brief history of Prague as well as an interesting lesson on the architecture we would be seeing. Then she listened to what our interests were and what it was that we really wanted to see. We decided on a brief overview of two town sections each morning. Jana (pronounced Yana) was awesome. Some guides are very knowledgeable and some are very personable, Jana was both. She was entertaining and was able to answer all our questions, of which we asked quite a few. I’m not sure how to explain it, but with some guides it’s like you’re on a ride at Disney World. It’s enjoyable but you always have that feeling that you’re on a fixed narrow path with no deviation allowed. With Jana you could tell she wasn’t reading through some preplanned script in her mind but rather she just enjoyed talking about her beautiful city. We didn’t feel like we were just “that day’s clients” but felt more like we were her friends that she was showing around while we were in town. After we finished with each morning’s tour she then gave us hints for what to do that afternoon, including places to eat and where to shop. I believe we gave her the US equivalent of $100 total for the four of us for what was supposed to be eight hours of touring. In reality it was closer to nine or ten I would think. All four of us gave Jana two thumbs way up!
www.prague-guide.info [email protected] 420-777-225-205
Oct 23rd, 2006 | 01:17 PM
#5
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Just returned from Prague, but I haven't posted my trip report yet. In the interim, here are some recommendations:
Restaurants-
Ambiente Pasta Fresca (on Celetna)-it is part of the Ambiente chain, but excellent italian food. Make sure you order a side of the roasted potatoes with ricotta cheese.
Kolkovna (on Kolkovna in Jewish Qtr)-This is a Czech food pub featuring Pilsner Urquell and Kozel beer and traditional Czech cuisine. Make reservations as it gets very busy.
Cafe Colonial (on Siroka)-French/Asian cuisine that is very reasonably priced. Excellent service and outstanding food.
Cremaria Milano (on Pariszka)- for Gelato.
As far as tours are concerned, we took the Wittman tour of the Jewish Quarter and was extremely disappointed. Basically our guide just took us from Synagogue to Synagogue and then to the cemetary, talked about 2 minutes at each place and then told us to walk around at our leisure. It seemed really rushed and we didn't really learn about the rich Jewish history in Prague. Each Synagogue we toured, however, contained small museums or exhibits that provided much more insight than our tour guide.
In regards to the castle area, it can be a bit overwhelming. We purchased the audio guide and spent the entire day listening and visiting all of the sites. We probably should've split the visit into two days. Enjoy your trip.
Restaurants-
Ambiente Pasta Fresca (on Celetna)-it is part of the Ambiente chain, but excellent italian food. Make sure you order a side of the roasted potatoes with ricotta cheese.
Kolkovna (on Kolkovna in Jewish Qtr)-This is a Czech food pub featuring Pilsner Urquell and Kozel beer and traditional Czech cuisine. Make reservations as it gets very busy.
Cafe Colonial (on Siroka)-French/Asian cuisine that is very reasonably priced. Excellent service and outstanding food.
Cremaria Milano (on Pariszka)- for Gelato.
As far as tours are concerned, we took the Wittman tour of the Jewish Quarter and was extremely disappointed. Basically our guide just took us from Synagogue to Synagogue and then to the cemetary, talked about 2 minutes at each place and then told us to walk around at our leisure. It seemed really rushed and we didn't really learn about the rich Jewish history in Prague. Each Synagogue we toured, however, contained small museums or exhibits that provided much more insight than our tour guide.
In regards to the castle area, it can be a bit overwhelming. We purchased the audio guide and spent the entire day listening and visiting all of the sites. We probably should've split the visit into two days. Enjoy your trip.
Oct 27th, 2006 | 08:31 AM
#6
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
Hi - I'm in Prague right now - looking at fodors for tips to fill out our next few days. My husband and I just finished a tour with Sarka today for about 3 hours and yesterday as well for about 3 hours // we wanted to break it up. I can recommend her. I think it is the slower time so perhaps she would be available in Nov. - she didn't have another person after us - and today is Friday. Today she met us at the hotel - ordered a taxi to get to the top of the castle before the crowds and then we worked our way down. She recomments the church - more so than the castle for touring. the windows were amazing. Here is her e-mail [email protected]
It was a total of 3000 crowns for the two days. Hope this helps - the private guide was a time saver.
It was a total of 3000 crowns for the two days. Hope this helps - the private guide was a time saver.
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Oct 27th, 2006 | 06:24 PM
#8
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,206
Likes: 0
Here are the restaurants we ate at during our trip to Prague; if you google, you can likely see menus/prices for those I don't have web links for:
U Modre Kachnicky II
http://tinyurl.com/y66mq3
delighful atmosphere, decor, service and wonderful food, in particular we enjoyed the traditional czech choices on the menu
Kampa Park: we had a lovely special "last night in prague" dinner here and their wine list was fabulous. We had a lovely table reserved by the fireplace and before had cocktails over looking the river. Food was perfect. overlooks river/Charles Bridge from castle side.
http://tinyurl.com/y32lkh
Bellevue Restaurant: wonderful window seat overlooking river (from opposite castle side) just close to sunset - and the service and food was also excellent/special and they often have pianist/jazz you can check their schedule.
Orange Moon
orangemoon.cz
(thai, burmese and indian food, reasonable price and fabulous)
We did not use guide/ except for during day out at Terezin and we signed up for an english speaking guide when we arrived
If you like Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, we enjoyed the Mucha Museum, small, but nice film on his work and great gift shop.
We also snagged last minute, inexpensive opera tickets and saw a show at the Magik Lantern which has some interesting theater/dance performances.
U Modre Kachnicky II
http://tinyurl.com/y66mq3
delighful atmosphere, decor, service and wonderful food, in particular we enjoyed the traditional czech choices on the menu
Kampa Park: we had a lovely special "last night in prague" dinner here and their wine list was fabulous. We had a lovely table reserved by the fireplace and before had cocktails over looking the river. Food was perfect. overlooks river/Charles Bridge from castle side.
http://tinyurl.com/y32lkh
Bellevue Restaurant: wonderful window seat overlooking river (from opposite castle side) just close to sunset - and the service and food was also excellent/special and they often have pianist/jazz you can check their schedule.
Orange Moon
orangemoon.cz
(thai, burmese and indian food, reasonable price and fabulous)
We did not use guide/ except for during day out at Terezin and we signed up for an english speaking guide when we arrived
If you like Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, we enjoyed the Mucha Museum, small, but nice film on his work and great gift shop.
We also snagged last minute, inexpensive opera tickets and saw a show at the Magik Lantern which has some interesting theater/dance performances.
Oct 28th, 2006 | 08:55 AM
#9
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
In May 2006, we took a guided tour of the Jewish Ghetto using Prague Walking Tours. It was 500 crowns which included entrance into the Jewish cemetery and 5 Synagogues (290 crowns in entrance fees). It was about 2 1/2 hours and we learned a ton. We just showed up at the Astronomical clock just before 11:00am and joined the tour starting at 11:00. Website: http://www.praguewalkingtours.cz/walk.php?id=6 There are a number of tour companies that will be at the clock for you to choose from.
Our favorite restaurant was Chez Marcel – an excellent and inexpensive, casual French restaurant. We dined here twice, so we tried the Chicken and Frites (bargain deal at 150 crowns/$7), Steak and Frites, Duck and Frites and a Ham and Cheese Sandwich. We had beers, but we did notice the wine was very reasonable. Most meals were under 300 crowns and the service was very good. They don’t have a website and they don’t accept any credit cards. It is located at Hastalská 12, Praha 1, Prague, next door to Golden Tulip Hotel Maximilian.
Have a great trip!
Our favorite restaurant was Chez Marcel – an excellent and inexpensive, casual French restaurant. We dined here twice, so we tried the Chicken and Frites (bargain deal at 150 crowns/$7), Steak and Frites, Duck and Frites and a Ham and Cheese Sandwich. We had beers, but we did notice the wine was very reasonable. Most meals were under 300 crowns and the service was very good. They don’t have a website and they don’t accept any credit cards. It is located at Hastalská 12, Praha 1, Prague, next door to Golden Tulip Hotel Maximilian.
Have a great trip!
Oct 8th, 2007 | 02:09 PM
#11
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
I highly recommend Dana Chaloupka as a private guide in Prague.
http://www.sweb.cz/travelcz/
She will tailor your itinerary if you have specific requests or can take you to the main parts of Prague or out of town destinations. I hired her for three days and did a half day tour of Old Town and a trip to Karlstejn Castle. I liked having the one-on-one contact and she answered my many questions about local Czech culture and customs.
http://www.sweb.cz/travelcz/
She will tailor your itinerary if you have specific requests or can take you to the main parts of Prague or out of town destinations. I hired her for three days and did a half day tour of Old Town and a trip to Karlstejn Castle. I liked having the one-on-one contact and she answered my many questions about local Czech culture and customs.
Oct 19th, 2007 | 04:12 AM
#14
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,500
Likes: 0
When we were in Prague we used Ilona Zahradnikova. We thought she was very good.
We took a 4 hour morning walking tour. We visited the Castle, Cathedral, the Goldsmith's street, saw the changing of the guard, saw the clock in Old Town Square strike the hour, walked across Charles Bridge, walked down Wenceslaus Square & saw the Balcony where Waclaw Havel led the "Velvet Revolution".
She can be reached at:
Na Morani 8
128 00
Praha 2
Czech Republic
tel: 420 224 92 02 91
cell: 603 492 811
e-mail: [email protected]
We took a 4 hour morning walking tour. We visited the Castle, Cathedral, the Goldsmith's street, saw the changing of the guard, saw the clock in Old Town Square strike the hour, walked across Charles Bridge, walked down Wenceslaus Square & saw the Balcony where Waclaw Havel led the "Velvet Revolution".
She can be reached at:
Na Morani 8
128 00
Praha 2
Czech Republic
tel: 420 224 92 02 91
cell: 603 492 811
e-mail: [email protected]
Nov 1st, 2007 | 10:37 AM
#16
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
We just returned from Prague about a month ago. You will have such an amazing time. We loved it! We used Sarka as well and had a great guide named Barbora Liskova. We did the Heart of Prague tour which was about 4 hours. Barbora really customized it based upon what my husband and I were interested in and she took us to some out of the way sites we would have never found on our own. Definitely request her if you can and tell her Paula and Barry sent you
Our favorite restaurant was Restaurant David, not cheap, but fabulous and a great atmosphere. We stayed at a great hotel called the Alchymist. Great breakfast was included every morning as well as wine and cheese in the early evening. The room was huge and a big bathroom. Have a great time!
Our favorite restaurant was Restaurant David, not cheap, but fabulous and a great atmosphere. We stayed at a great hotel called the Alchymist. Great breakfast was included every morning as well as wine and cheese in the early evening. The room was huge and a big bathroom. Have a great time!
